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But study author Adrian Sayers stressed these patients were already “very old and very frail” and quite at risk generally.

He told MailOnline: “The analysis has brought up questions of the importance of timing of surgery, how surgery on a Sunday differs from the rest of the week.

“The care that you get at the weekend is at least the equivalent, if not better than what you get in the week.”

Time from hospital admission to surgery was deemed a crucial factor in the 30-day survival rate.

Health watchdog NICE recommends patients go under the knife within 36 hours of entering A&E but the new study found patients are 10 per cent less likely to die if they have the procedure within 24 hours.